If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Our Bench now vs. Our Bench post barbo trade last season.

Last year, contrary to popular opinion around the league, we really didn't have much of a bench. That isn't to say, of course, that we didn't use our bench alot, we did, but it was a liability, especially in the playoffs.

Now that we've seen a bit of our bench, how do you guys think it has the potential to stack up?

I think this could be the biggest difference between this season and the last, I think our starters will be improved, of course, but we were already winning those matchups on a nightly basis, our bench being able to "hold the fort" or stop the bleeding sometimes could be a massive factor in both a gaudy win total, and playoff success.

How do you guys see the following matchups shaking out over the course of the season? Evaluate both individually and as fitting into what Frank is trying to do. (my responses in bold)

Ian Mahinmi vs. Lou Amundson- having a big man on the court at all times, and I mean a BIG man will be gigantic, we won't have to massively change playstyles between the first and second units, and it will allow Frank to avoid "platooning" full units, as Ian can play with the starters with less of a clash of styles if Roy gets into trouble. I is a real option in the post, seems to move well, and is much better defensively than Lou

Gerald Green vs. Leandro Barbosa- If Green continues to show that he's capable of what he did in the second pre-season game (an evolution of what he accomplished in New Jersey) then he can be better for this team than than Leandro was, which was occasionally brilliant, but inconsistent. Green looks lik ehe can create his own shot, off the dribble, or back to the basket, demonstrating a beautiful fade away jumper multiple times, he can also stretch the floor, and looks like a decent passer. I'm incredibly excited about Green, and I hope he continues to improve, and moves towards reaching the potential he had on draft night. He's still young, and has demonstrated some real skills, ones that very few players who aren't special can do. Let's hope he keeps in tup, I for one don't think his play in NJ was a fluke, kid is good, he can end up being a massive steal for 3 milion per

DJ Augustin vs. Darren Collison As players, I think they are comparable. DC is clearly a better finisher and scorer, DJ is clearly a better shooter and distributor. Both are quick, DC uses his to get to the rim, and free up his own offense, putting pressure on the D, DJ uses his speed to penetrate and kick. I like DJ for this team more, simply because I think his style complements Hill's more than DC, as Hill himself is more of a scorer and defender at the point. Overall it is a wash though, I don't see a downgrade at least, and a plus is that the team seems to think very highly of him, and seem to trust his point guard skills implicitly.

I'm also bullish on Sam Young vs. Dahntay comparisons, Young is in his prime, and was a starter for Memphis at one point, and appears to have a more diverse offensive game than Dahntay had. If our starters can continue to win most nights, our bench will be a huge asset compared to last year I believe.

This is a bench I could see us beating Miami last year with (I realize they had no bosh, of course) I think we could have stolen at least one of games 1 or 4 with this bench, a big like Ian backing up Hibbert would have been huge, and Miami's stars wouldn't have SO easily been able to make up deficits with some more consistent options on the floor, all conjecture, i know, but I feel much more optimistic about putting these guys out on the floor against good teams and being confident we don't lose by a massive amount than I was about rolling with Lou/Tyler/Dahntay front court. Ian might help Tyler too, as he'll draw more attention, and make up for some of his defensive liabilities.

Re: Our Bench now vs. Our Bench post barbo trade last season.

Too early for me to have a real opinion. I hope they are better, I could make a good argument that they are better, but we won't know for several months

Of course, a degree of prognostication is always fun though. I think the benefits of being able to run a more traditional lineup with Ian speak for themselves though. That, I think was a huge deal last season when it came to the bench, we had perimeter scorers to an extent, but nothing on the inside that defenses had to worry about. 2 real centers could be a huge boon.

Re: Our Bench now vs. Our Bench post barbo trade last season.

Of course, a degree of prognostication is always fun though. I think the benefits of being able to run a more traditional lineup with Ian speak for themselves though. That, I think was a huge deal last season when it came to the bench, we had perimeter scorers to an extent, but nothing on the inside that defenses had to worry about. 2 real centers could be a huge boon.